At St. Patrick’s NS, children’s safety and wellbeing are at the heart of all we do. Safer Internet Day gave us a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on digital wellbeing across the school. Using our It Takes a Village approach, alongside the TY Digital Passport Programme, our Buddy System and the STEM curriculum, pupils worked collaboratively to learn about, reflect on and raise awareness of strategies for staying safe online. Through age-appropriate books, videos and buddy discussions, children were supported in a safe and inclusive environment where they felt heard, valued and reassured that their safety is always our top priority.
Our senior students played a key role in leading the learning throughout the day. Both 6th classes visited Temple Carrig, where they explored the merits and disadvantages of AI, engaging in thoughtful discussion about the opportunities and challenges of this rapidly evolving technology.
Once back at school, our 6th class students teamed up with their Junior Infant buddies to share important online safety messages. They created colourful posters about staying safe on the internet and spent time chatting and colouring together, discussing the importance of protecting personal information online.
Meanwhile, 5th class organised engaging activities with their Senior Infant buddies, helping them to understand key internet safety messages in a fun, supportive and age-appropriate way. We had great fun playing the Traffic Light Game, using red, yellow and green cards to decide if different online situations were safe, unsafe or unsure. We also tried some role play, acting out scenarios and showing what we would do to stay safe online.
It was a fantastic whole-school effort, with children learning from one another and working together to promote a safer online world for everyone.
